SAT Advice

What To Do and When To Do It!

More About the Tests

The SAT (or the ACT) is the test used by most colleges to help decide whether to admit students or not (along with GPA, transcript, recommendations, etc.). Not all schools require the SAT (or ACT), but the great majority do. Closely related to the SAT is the PSAT, which is really just a practice test! It’s very similar to the SAT, but without the essay and some algebra. It can also qualify you for somescholarship money, so make sure you don’t blow it off.

In a nutshell, the SAT is offered 7 times a year, lasts for 3 hours and 45 minutes, has 3 SAT sections (math, reading, writing), and costs about $43 to take.

A good SAT score is whatever you need to be competitive in the eyes of your target schools. The average on each section of the test is around a 500.

We recommend taking the PSAT in October of your junior year, as well as an SAT in the winter or spring. While some folks take the PSAT sophomore year, you can decide to get a preview by attending one of our free practice tests instead….less stress and faster feedback! You’ll also have more time to take any SAT Subject Tests you may need (depending on where you want to apply, you may need one or more).